Life

Mont-Tremblant Readies for Championship Racing

In just one year, the IRONMAN North American Championship Mont-Tremblant event has become one of the most popular full-distance races in the world.

by Kevin Mackinnon

Nestled in the rolling Laurentian Mountains about an hour and a half outside of Montreal, Mont-Tremblant is a fairy-tale-like village brimming with European charm. Throw an IRONMAN event into the mix and you get a race that has quickly become one of the hottest tickets in full-distance racing.

The region and race organizers are committed to creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience for participants. In the fall of 2011, the region repaved the roads for the bike course. Artists were commissioned to create pieces to commemorate the event. The locals pull out all the stops to showcase Quebec’s culture and charm.

The resort

Mont-Tremblant, the town, is no stranger to world-class events—having hosted everything from running, cycling and ski races to Quebec’s largest music festivals. There are 1,700 hotel rooms at the resort, which means that athletes and their families can pull in during race week and ignore their cars until it's time to go home. Various accommodations (everything from two- to five-star) provide easy access to the race, and athletes walk only about a quarter of a mile to the transition area on race morning.

Mont-Tremblant's resort options mean that families and friends who choose to come along will find lots to do while the athletes go through their final race preparations. The resort opens a "Kids Club" during race week for children between one and six. Other activities include everything from luge to climbing walls to watersport activities in picturesque Lac Mont-Tremblant.

The course

It might be scenic, but it’s not an easy course. The day begins with a swim in Lac Mont-Tremblant—where the water temperature hovers right around 70 degrees in August, so wetsuits are allowed. The one-loop swim is followed by a challenging bike course similar to Lake Placid in terms of elevation, though the rolling hills are shorter and more like the ones you’ll find at IRONMAN Wisconsin. The bike course begins with a relatively flat stretch of road, but quickly hits the rollers as it winds through the abundant.

Much of the bike course follows two-lane highways with a four-meter shoulder, similar to parts of the course at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. The run never strays too far from the village and incorporates a trail along an old railway bed called Le P’tit Train du Nord, the longest linear park in Canada. Once again there’s all kinds of breathtaking scenery—everything from waterfalls to rivers to the old village of Mont-Tremblant on Lake Mercier with its quaint boutiques and restaurants.

Pro race

Offering 4,000 points in the Kona Points Rankings, The IRONMAN North America Championship is one of the final qualifying races for Kona this year. The race has attracted a strong field that includes 50 pro athletes from around the world.

The women’s race favorite has to be American Mary Beth Ellis, who has won every IRONMAN she’s competed in other than the IRONMAN World Championship, where she finished fifth last year. Most likely to challenge her is Hungary’s Erika Csomor, who is having an outstanding season that includes a speedy win at IRONMAN Austria last month. Some other notable IRONMAN champions to watch for include Joanna Lawn (NZL), Rebekah Keat (AUS) and Americans Bree Wee, Hillary Biscay and Jennie Hansen, who arrives fresh off a win at IRONMAN Lake Placid a few weeks ago.

Defending men’s champion Romain Guillaume from France is back, but will face a considerably stronger men’s field than he did a year ago. Australia’s Luke Bell finally claimed his first full-distance title at IRONMAN Australia last May, but he’s hardly the only IRONMAN champ in the field capable of taking the title. The Ukraine’s Viktor Zyemtsev has won titles in Austria, Couer d’Alene, Lake Placid and Florida, while Hungary’s Jozsef Major has run his way to a number of titles over the years. Other men to watch for include Paul Amey (GBR), Paul Ambrose (AUS) and Kiwi-turned-American Matt Reed.